I
The Danes, you remember, had the eastern and northern parts of
England in the time of Alfred. Alfred's successors drove them farther
and farther north, and at length the Danish kingdom in England
came to an end for a time.
But the Danes in Denmark did not forget that there had been such
a kingdom and in the year 1013 Sweyn (_swane_), King of Denmark,
invaded England and defeated the Anglo-Saxons. Ethelred, their
king, fled to Normandy.
Sweyn now called himself the king of England; but in a short time
he died and his son Canute succeeded to his throne. Canute was
nineteen years old. He had been his father's companion during the
war with the Anglo-Saxons, and thus had had a good deal of experience
as a soldier.
After the death of Sweyn some of the Anglo-Saxons recalled King
Ethelred and revolted against the Danes.
Canute, however, went to Denmark and there raised one of the largest
armies of Danes that had ever been assembled. With this powerful
force he sailed to England. When he landed Northumberland and Wessex
acknowledged him as king. Shortly after this Ethelred died.
Canute now thought he would find it easy to get possession of all
England. This was a mistake.
Ethelred left a son named Edmund Ironside who was a very brave
soldier. He became, by his father's death, the king of Saxon England
and at once raised an army to defend his kingdom. A battle was fought
and Edmund was victorious. This was the first of five battles that
were fought in one year. In none of them could the Danes do more
than gain a slight advantage now and then.
However, the Saxons were at last defeated in a sixth battle through
the act of a traitor. Edric, a Saxon noble, took his men out of
the fight and his treachery so weakened the Saxon army that Edmund
Ironside had to surrender to Canute.
But the young Dane had greatly admired Edmund for the way in which he
had fought against heavy odds, so he now treated him most generously.
Canute took certain portions of England and the remainder was given
to Edmund Ironside.
Thus for a short time the Anglo-Saxon people had at once a Danish
and a Saxon monarch.
[Illustration: DANES EMBARKING FOR THE INVASION OF ENGLAND]